share! Everyone has a story, and we hope you will help us tell the tales of a variety of Des Moines cooks. Please send us your ideas. Tell us the names, contact information, and a little about your cooking friends. Send to Recipes@DesMoinesCooks.com. one of mike's go-to tailgate recipes: Scoth Eggs, a carnivore's delight 6 hard-cooked eggs 1 tube ground breakfast sausage, cut into 6 sections 6 slices Canadian bacon 6 slices regular bacon Seasoned bread crumbs or rolled oats SAUCE: ½ cup Dijon-style mustard 1 teaspoon horseradish Cracked black pepper to taste Heat oven to 350°F. Hard-cook 6 eggs; cool and remove shells. For each Scotch egg, flatten out a sausage section on waxed paper and wrap it around egg, making a “football” shape. Wrap Canadian bacon around the egg and a slice of bacon around each shape. Roll it in seasoned bread crumbs or rolled oats. Arrange in a baking pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. To transport to the tailgate site, wrap the eggs in aluminum foil. Reheat on the grill. To serve, cut in half for larger servings or slice for appetizer portions. SAUCE: Stir together a mixture of mustard, horseradish, and pepper to taste. Serve as a dipping sauce with Scotch Eggs.

Mike Lacey’s big red truck, a Chevy Avalanche, is the necessary vehicle that gets him to work each day at Pioneer, where he is a senior user services consultant—in other words, an IT guy. But on Saturdays when the Iowa State Cyclones have home games, that same red truck transforms into Tailgate Central for family and friends. The groups vary, of course, but he has served up to 30 die-hard fans. The 1992 grad, who lives in Altoona, says, “I suppose I started tailgating while in my fraternity, and I just love it. And, if I’m going to do it, I tend to do it all. Others might bring their beverages of choice, but I like to do all the food.” His wife, Erin, who also attended ISU, likes that. “He does all the cooking for our family, so this is a natural for Mike. He loves doing it.” Erin is the fiscal operations director of the Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation in West Des Moines. The couple’s children are Colin, 10½, and Maddie, 9. What he serves depends on the time of the game start and how much time is available. Lately, the family’s Saturdays revolve around Colin’s football games as well, so there’s not always time to do lots of cooking. “If time is short, I’m not above providing a deli tray. But, if there’s time, it is a lot of fun to prepare something that takes longer.” If their Friday nights are free, the family enjoys using its RV pass at ISU and pulling a camper up to Jack Trice Stadium the night before. “The key, of course, is preparing as much ahead as you can. That just makes everything so much easier. Let’s just say we have a lot of Rubbermaid and Tupperware containers that we move around.” Mike doesn’t like getting in a rut. “I rarely do the same menu twice. I like to try new things. I get recipes from the Food Network and lots of other places. It’s lots of fun to try out new ideas and adapt them to what works for us.”

Sure, he has done the burgers and brats routine, but he gets adventurous as well, and he has enjoyed perfecting his ribs. One side dish he has worked out is warm coleslaw, and he dashes off recipes that he has used. “You know, just cut a head of cabbage into eighths, add a little butter, diced onion, salt and pepper, and celery seed. Wrap it all in foil and warm it on the grill. It’s a great side.” The same is true with potato salad: “I use new potatoes, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, Cajun seasoning, and red and green onions. I make a dressing of stone-ground mustard mixed with mayonnaise. Everyone seems to love it.” One of his standby dishes is Scotch Eggs, particularly for an early-start game. “I like to make them because I can make them ahead and then just wrap them in foil and warm them on the grill at the tailgate. They, too, are pretty popular.” Mike’s a busy guy. Besides work, he coaches Colin’s football team and plays drums in a band. His kids are ardent supporters of Mike’s tailgating/cooking skills. Their favorite tailgate meals? For Colin, it’s Dad’s ribs and Oreos. And Maddie makes it really easy on him. “I really like the summer sausage and cookies he buys.” For the photo shown here, he grilled brats and Anaheim chiles wrapped in bacon, and he warmed up Scotch Eggs wrapped in foil.